Alan Hilton

I used to work in the water industry as a operations manager , I used to get phoned at home a lot .One evening I was in my workshop building a manatilla when the phone went (I had an extension in the workshop) .Unfortunatly the aileron I was working on got stuck to my right index finger .The caller was a somewhat irate local councillor who went on and an for about half an hour while the aileron hung off my finger .I started to use latex gloves after this Alan

My many years old Robat meter was sticking .I took it apart and found the paper scale had wrinkled causing the problem ,reattached the scale and solved the problem . Alan

Looking on eBay there are loads of unmat accessories and tooling for sale . Having a lathe is very useful so my 2p ’s worth is keep it and learn some skills .I have a myford and wouldn’t be without it Alan

I have used Bill Kits and have no problem in recommending them ,excellent service excellent product Alan

I used oratex on my chilton build .It goes on well but it bubbles in the sun on sheeted areas .I will use some diluted pva in future as per solatex to combat this Alan

Don’t be put off by the complexities of open tx the frsky operating system already on there transmitters is fine for every day flying Alan

I can’t handlaunch due to arthritis in my knuckles ,my flying buddy has several models requiring hand launch ,so he bought a Hobbyking catapult . It’s a bit of a faf to set up but it works very well even with edf models Alan

Hi Frank I have db 1/4 scale pup with a 200 v twin a 20x 6 prop is ideal Alan

I have used frsky for several years initialy via a JR tx and a module .I now have a Horus 12 with the frsky operating system .I find this very easy to use and will do everything I want . A mate has a Horus 10 witch also great and easy to use via frsky operating system . The receivers are inexpensive and the whole system is very reliable ,T9 hobby sport are very good retailers in the UK Alan

As to overall abundance of aluminium you are correct ,but it’s present in large amounts in clay as the mineral alum which is not readily reduced to the metal Alan

Thanks Jon Just the response I needed it’s an se5a and I’m using a 20 x6 prop Alan

Hi Jon what sort of duration would I get out of a 180 in a ww1 model on a 14 oz tank Alan

Hi Jon Im currently making a back plate mount for my 180 .Do you see a problem with this? Regards Alan

I have just built the Denis Tapsfield 30% DW 1 .The u/c pants are held on with a pair of springs with hooks which are working OK The pants are made from 1/32 birch ply formed round a suitable sized tin . The ply is soaked in hot water,then clamped round the former Alan

Yes as progression to the B certificate which is made clear Alan

The best advice I can give is control your rate of decent on finals with the throttle not the elevator ,hence my comment about the throttle trim ,most model pilots don’t use rudder other than on the ground . I teach rudder use after success with A certificate ,as it’s required for more advanced flying skills Alan

Hi Jon Rudder on landing isn’t for a beginner in my experience ,too much Input causes violent yaw which leads to the wing going backwards stalling . The most frequent problem I see with beginners is too fast on approach leading to height gain when flaring resulting in a go round . Too high a tick over especially on 2strokes makes this worse Alan

One thing to try is getting your left thumb on the throttle trim so you can cut down the tick over on approach .Its not a good idea to use rudder at low speed so you aren’t loosing anything. This is more applicable to 2 strokes as they idle higher than a 4 stroke Alan

Hi Gordon Glad you are sorted ,will you be doing a build thred on the Siskin ?I for one would be very interested Alan

Hi Gordon I have found it how much do you need .I need to keep some if I need to repair my Leopard moth At some point .I have also found some pinked rib tape to match Alan

I don’t know how much I have I will dig it out tomorrow and measure up and let you know .It will be afternoon I’m going flying tomorrow morning Alan

Nice subjet I have never seen one modelled I may have some silver solatex kicking around I used it on my Leopard moth and I bought 10 meters .I forgot I had it and bought oratex to cover my Chilton .How much would you need Alan

Hi Alan Does automotive acrylic basecoat need heat to get it dry ? Alan

Hi Gordon The colour isn’t miles different but the look is ,you can see the weave on oratex you can’t on solatex. Alan

Hi Gordon They are quite different ,oratex is more like conventional solatex rather than the almost glostex of silver solatex . I have found oratex doesn’t stick well to sheeted surfaces ,it bubbles badly in the sun so a balsa loc eqivelent is required .Not sure re colour without looking ,I will go up to my workshop later and do so. Alan